Unraveling the mysteries of supernovae with SKA+VLBI

Supernovae (SNe) drive cosmic chemical enrichment and shape galactic feedback, yet the link between progenitors and explosion outcomes remains poorly constrained because the earliest phases are rarely resolved. Radio emission traces synchrotron radiation where the fastest ejecta interact with the circumstellar medium (CSM), providing a uniquely penetrating probe of these phases. SKA-Mid phased into global VLBI will move from simple detections to routine interferometric imaging of nearby extragalactic SNe. Sub- mu Jy sensitivity and mas-scale SKA+VLBI imaging, complemented by visibility-domain model fitting for sub-beam radius measurements at 5-15 GHz will allow us to follow the expanding shocks of stripped-envelope SNe out to about 25 Mpc, measure deceleration indices (m) and axial ratios to about 5-10%, and directly test jet-assisted versus neutrino-driven explosion mechanisms. For interacting SNe (Type IIn/Ibn), SKA+VLBI will resolve clumpy and toroidal CSM on progenitor scales, constraining the timing and geometry of eruptive pre-explosion mass loss. Deep limits on Type Ia SNe will tightly restrict the allowed single-degenerate parameter space, while late-time imaging will search for nascent compact remnants and pulsar wind nebulae. In synergy with optical, X-ray and gravitational wave facilities, SKA+VLBI will turn nearby SNe into laboratories for time-resolved shock physics and progenitor mapping.